SheWolf
by Sealed Envelope
Summary: Laura Kittson was living unhappily in 'The Orphanage' in the 1970's, when she is suddenly swept away into a new world. Laura goes to Hogwarts, where she meets with classes, maraudering, and a kind young werewolf. But not all is well. Follows Canon, but AU
1. Story Information

"_**She-Wolf**_**" Overview – Story Information**

**Story Name: **"_She-Wolf_"

**Rating:** T

**Beta(s): **HP-Funny

**Extended Summary: **Laura Kittson was staring bleakly out of a grimy window in 'The Orphanage' in the 1970′s, when she is suddenly swept away into a world of magic. Laura goes to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she meets with classes, maraudering, and friends for first time, even if one of them is a werewolf. She is happier than she could remember being in her life; even the bullying Slytherins can't bother her. But a larger threat than she can imagine is becoming a reality; a Dark Lord calling himself Voldemort is gaining power, and killing as many Muggleborns as he can.

**Pairings:**

Remus Lupin / Laura Kittson (OC)

James Potter / Lily Evans

**Warnings:** Slightly AU

_**Information for the updating of this story can be found at l6ur6(dot)wordpress(dot)com/fan-fiction-stories/gender-wolf/she-wolf/ . The entire story can also be found there as well.**_


	2. The Orphanage

**Chapter 1 – **_**The Orphanage**_

_**

* * *

**_

Laura Kittson sat on her bed, staring out of the dirty windowpane, looking at the endless rain, now slowed to a steady drizzle.

_Plop. Plop. Plop._

The rain dripped off of the roof of the orphanage where Laura lived. She had long ago given up hope that a family might come and decide that they want to adopt a child older than a year old. Laura lay back down on the bed with a sigh.

_Plop. Plop. Plop._

Laura was eleven years old, and without a family. She sighed and sat up a moment later, walking over to a cracked, dirty window on the wall opposite her bed. She saw her reflection staring back at her; dirty blonde hair that came to the middle of her back, crooked glasses, and bright blue eyes. She absentmindedly ran a hand over a fading bruise on her right cheek.

_Plop. Plop. Plop._

Laura sighted and returned to staring blankly out of the window. She heard laughter and shouting as some of the older boys chased each other through the halls of the orphanage. The Orphanage. The place didn't even have a name.

_Plop. Plop. Plop._

Oh, how Laura would love to be playing with people her own age, laughing her troubles away as she played tag with the others. But no one wanted her around. Laura had always been different than the other orphans; they called her strange; a freak.

_Plop. Plop. Plop._

She made things disappear without touching them.

_Plop_.

She could light things on fire without using a match.

_Plop_.

She could make things fly.

_Plop. Plop. Plop._

She hadn't wanted to though, in the beginning. The other kids had teased her for it at first, but eventually grew wary of her once they started getting hurt. Now she had no friends. But she got it eventually. She even had to stop herself from wanting to use it to hurt people on purpose a couple of times.

_Plop. Plop. Plop._

Laura heard more footsteps coming down the hallway, but these weren't the hurried steps of the orphans; they were slow and steady, and belonged to one of the owners of the orphanage. None of them liked Laura; they seemed to think that she would scare the soon-to-be parents away. Not that she blamed them, Laura thought, grinning slightly. She considered running, but immediately dismissed the idea. When they caught her, and they would catch her, it wouldn't be pretty. Laura ran a hand over the bruise again. With a resigned sigh, Laura lay down on the bed and waited, absentmindedly tracing the bruise on her cheek. After a moment, the door to her room, if you could call it that, slammed loudly against the wall as Madam Martha entered.

Madam Martha was old; with grey hair, and a wrinkled face that looked like a pug, she wasn't well liked, and had been on the receiving end of many of Laura's pranks and 'accidents'. Getting back at the adults was the only way that she felt that she was at least partially liked; everyone enjoyed seeing her covered with slime after Laura had arranged for her to 'fall' in the small pond on the property.

When Madam Martha spoke, her voice was raspy and full of dislike. "Get out here, girl. Someone wants to talk with _you_." Laura looked up, shocked. No visitor to the orphanage ever looked at any of the older children. Laura didn't know whether or not she wanted to leave. On one hand, almost anywhere was better than here; on the other, she knew what to expect here. She knew the people here, even if she didn't like them, and knew the best places to hide after pulling a prank.

"Have you gone deaf, girl?" Madam Martha screeched. "Get up and go downstairs."

Laura stood up and scurried down the rickety staircase; it was always a bad idea to anger one of the owners if he or she was already in a bad mood. Laura rounded the last corner and entered the main room, stopping short in surprise. Sitting on one of the torn armchairs was a woman with a severe face, and black hair drawn into a tight bun. Laura stared at the woman for a moment, before Madam Martha came in behind her and shoved her roughly into the room. The unknown woman looked at Madam Martha in disgust.

Instantly deciding that she liked the woman Laura walked forward and held out a hand. "I'm Laura Kittson. Who are you?"

Looking slightly taken aback at Laura's politeness, the woman shook her hand. "My name is Professor McGonagall." Laura frowned. Professor? Was the orphanage arranging to have someone from an asylum look at her? Smiling slightly at the expression on Laura's face, Professor McGonagall turned her attention to Madam Martha. "Might we have a private room?"

Madam Martha nodded curtly, sneering slightly, and showed them to an empty room off of the hall, containing only a couple of chairs and a table, and left. Professor McGonagall looked at Laura with a raised eyebrow. "Unpleasant woman, isn't she?"

Laura winced, fingering the fading bruise on her cheek, and nodded, still eying the woman suspiciously; she had liked her at first, but she was now unsure of what to make of her; on one hand, Laura was almost entirely sure that she was there to diagnose her with some 'mental illness', and then cart her away to an asylum, but on the other, she _seemed_ pleasant enough, and she disliked Madam Martha.

Laura was jolted from her thoughts as Professor McGonagall started to speak again: "I am here, as you are probably wondering, to offer you a place at the school at which I teach."

Laura looked up, interested. The orphans had received a small amount of homeschooling from the orphanage, but they had never been allowed to go to real schools. "Really?" she asked eagerly. "What's the school called?"

"The school is called Hogwarts. It is a school of magic."

Laura's enthusiasm died. She _knew_ now that they were trying to send her to an asylum. How stupid did they think she was; after all, they had spent the last eleven years of her life scorning anything out of the ordinary. Laura traced the bruise again, before saying, coldly and stiffly: "Please excuse me if I don't find a reason to believe you."

Professor McGonagall smiled slightly, pulled a long, slender, stick from a pocket in her jacket, and with a muttered word, created a whirling stream of bubbles. Laura's eyes grew wide as the bubbles began to mold themselves together, shrinking slightly, and become more solid. The bubbles, now a shiny silvery color, linked themselves together, and dropped down onto the table, now a beautiful necklace. Laura reached out and picked up the necklace, making sure it was real.

She looked up at the Professor again, having affirmed that she was telling the truth. "Why do you want me at your school?" she asked, curiously. "Why not some of the others?"

The Professor sniffed. "There are only a select few who have the ability to perform magic, yourself being one of them. You are a special case; technically, you are what we would call a "Muggle-Born', but you are actually descended from a long line of Squibs."

"Squib? Muggle-Born?"

"A Squib is a person who is from a magic family, but is are unable to perform magic. A Muggle-Born witch or wizard is the opposite; he or she is someone who is from a non-magic family, but is able to perform magic."

"I _have_ done magic before! Unintentionally, of course," Laura said hurriedly, scared that she might be breaking a rule, "but I know for a fact that I've lit at least thirty people on fire…"

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "…Thirty?"

Laura shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "Nobody here really likes me all that much, and they can be downright nasty about it… I don't do it on purpose of course, but sometimes I just can't control it…"

Professor McGonagall shook her head slightly, and said to her, "Don't worry about it. I know for a fact how hard underage magic is to control. It is one of the reasons that we encourage the teaching of children who are able to use magic; it allows better control. That way there's less of a chance that things could get… out of control."

Laura laughed quietly. "Meaning, there's less of a chance that I would end up blowing something up if I got mad."

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Something like that." Going businesslike again, she said, "You, being the descendent of a wizard, already have an account at Gringotts, the wizarding bank, so you will be able to withdraw money from there, if you decide to come to Hogwarts, of course. If you do, I shall accompany you to Diagon Alley, where you will get your school supplies." She reached into another pocket of her coat and pulled out a letter, which she handed to Laura.

Laura gingerly put the necklace in her pocket and gently pried open the heavy envelope, which was addressed to _Ms. L. Kittson, Room 21, The Orphanage,_ _Whales_. She took out the letter, which was written on thick parchment, carefully unfolded it, and read:

* * *

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin: First Class, Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

_**Dear Ms. Kittson,**_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Minerva McGonagall,**_

_**Deputy Headmistress**_

* * *

Laura stared blankly at the piece of parchment for a full minute before a grin began to slowly spread across her face. This place was obviously a boarding school; she wouldn't have to spend most of the year at the orphanage. Also, if Laura was correct, magic was the reason she couldn't make friends here; since all of her classmates would be able to do magic, she might even be able to make some friends. Laura looked up at Professor McGonagall and said, "I'd like to go." She paused and glanced at the paper again. "Do I still need to send an… owl?"

"No," the Professor said, smiling slightly. "Owls are the method of communication in the wizarding world; they are the equivalent of a Muggle Post Office."

Laura nodded, then asked, "Muggles are people who can't do magic, right?"

Professor McGonagall nodded. She stood up and said, "We'd better be going if we want to be finished and have you back here by sundown."

The two of them left the room and walked down the dirty hallway. They had almost reached the main room again when Laura thought of something. "How am I going to leave? I highly doubt that the owners are going to let me just walk out."

Professor McGonagall smiled grimly. "Magic isn't just for making necklaces, you know."

Laura was quiet again as they turned another corner and headed toward the door. Laura had just thought that they were going to make it undetected, when an angry voice from behind them barked, "And just where do you think you're going?"

Laura opened her mouth to answer, but the professor had already pulled out her wand, and muttered, "_Confundo_." Madam Martha's eyes, which had previously been glaring at them, glazed over, and she swayed on the spot.

"You will go to your office," commanded Professor McGonagall. "You will not tell anyone that I was here." To Laura's great surprise, Madam Martha nodded, and ambled away. Professor McGonagall put her wand away and briskly walked out the door, Laura following. Then, not twenty yards from the orphanage, they stopped, and Professor McGonagall held out an arm. Laura looked at it for a moment, and then grabbed it hesitantly.

Instantly, there was darkness: so thick that it was suffocating, pushing in on her head, her chest. Her lungs burned, and her eyes throbbed; her ears felt like they were being squeezed inside her head, which felt like it was in a pressure-cooker. Every muscle in her body protested the extreme pressure; it felt like she was being squeezed through a small tube. Just as Laura thought that she couldn't take it any longer, it stopped.


	3. Gringotts

**Chapter 2 – **_**Gringotts**_

* * *

Laura opened her eyes, which she hadn't realized that she had closed in the first place, tried to ignore the sickening lurches of her stomach and the feeling of just being smashed with a metal pipe from every direction, and looked around. They were in a deserted courtyard, surrounded by tall brick walls. There was a door on the wall behind them, and a couple of trash cans on the one in front of them. In other words, they were absolutely no-where near The Orphanage. Laura looked at Professor McGonagall, confused and slightly nauseous.

"_That_, is Apparation," Professor McGonagall explained. "It is vanishing from one spot and reappearing in another; in this case, the courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron, a pub." She strode over to the wall behind the trashcans, and prodded a worn-looking brick with her wand. Laura watched in amazement as the brick wriggled, and a hole appeared in the middle. It grew wider and wider, and about ten seconds later they were facing a giant archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

"This," said Professor McGonagall as they stepped though the archway, waving her wand at each of them, "is Diagon Alley." As the two made their way down the alley, Laura looked around in amazement at all of the different shops, quickly looking back once to see the archway shrink back into a solid wall.

Laura couldn't make out much through the rain, which was falling hard here, but what she did see was amazing. There were people hurrying by, dressed in long robes of varying colors; there were no umbrellas in sight, but yet they weren't getting wet at all. Come to think of it, she wasn't getting wet either. The rain was making an eerie pattering noise on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop, and Laura made out a sign above them: Cauldrons – All Sizes – Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver – Self-Stirring – Collapsible. Laura wrinkled her nose as they passed by an Apothecary, and raised an eyebrow at a bunch of kids around her age, who pressing their noses against a window with broomsticks in it. A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium – Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. There were shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Laura had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of frog brains and unicorn tails, piles of spell books, rolls of parchment, boxes of quills, globes of the moon…

"This is Gringotts," said Professor McGonagall, "the wizarding bank." They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was –

"That is a goblin," the professor said quietly as they went up the marble steps. "They are the creatures who own and run Gringotts." The goblin was about a head shorter than Laura, with a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard, and very long hands and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. They were now facing a second pair of doors; silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed,_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors,_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware,_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining diamonds and rubies through eyeglasses. There were even more goblins leading people through doors off of the hall; too many doors to count. Professor McGonagall and Laura made for the counter.

"Good morning," said Professor McGonagall to a free goblin. "Ms. Laura Kittson would like to make a withdrawal from her safe."

"You have her key, ma'am?"

Professor McGonagall pulled out a tiny golden key from her waistcoat and handed it to the goblin. He looked at it closely.

"That seems to be in order. I will have someone take you down to the vault. Stonehand!"

Stonehand was yet another goblin. Professor McGonagall handed the key to Laura, and told her to keep track of it. Laura slipped the little key into her pocket as they followed Stonehand toward one of the doors leading off the hall. They passed through the door, and Laura looked around as they entered a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Stonehand whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in, and they were off, hurtling through a maze of twisting passageways; Laura completely gave up trying to remember which way the rattling cart went.

Her eyes stung as the cold air rushed past, but she kept them wide open. Once, she thought she saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late – they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor. Laura looked opened her mouth to ask Professor McGonagall more questions about Hogwarts and wizards, but closed it again when she caught sight of the professor's slightly green face.

Going even deeper, the cart still increasing in speed, they passed an erupting volcano that was spewing out rivers of lava and ash. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the cart shuddered to a stop at a small door in the passage wall with the number 852 engraved in the stone above it. Laura took the key out of her pocket and handed it to the goblin, who put it into the lock. As the door opened, a lot of green smoke came billowing out. Laura peered inside as the smoke cleared, and gasped in surprise. Inside were mounds of gold, silver, and bronze coins; there was so much that she couldn't even see the far side of the vault. This was all hers? It was incredible; she had never been given any pocket money before, and even though this was the strangest money she had ever seen, Laura knew that this was more money than even the owners of The Orphanage had. Professor McGonagall helped her pile some into a bag, explaining about the wizarding currency.

"The gold coins are Galleons," she explained. "The silver coins are Sickles, and the bronze coins are Knuts. There are seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle. That should be enough for a couple of terms; the rest will be kept safe for you here."

They left the vault and reentered the cart, Laura reading the list of supplies that she would need on the way.

* * *

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**UNIFORM**

_**First-year students will require:**_

_**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**_

_**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**_

_**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**_

_**4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**_

_**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry nametags.**_

**COURSE BOOKS**

_**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**_

_**1. The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**_

_**2. A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**_

_**3. Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**_

_**4. A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch**_

_**5. One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**_

_**6. Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**_

_**7. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**_

_**8. Defense: Creatures and Spells by Hardy Angler**_

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

_**1 wand**_

_**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**_

_**1 set of glass or crystal phials**_

_**1 telescope set**_

_**1 brass scales**_

_**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.**_

_**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.**_


	4. Robes and a Wand

**Chapter 3 – **_**Robes and a Wand**_

_**

* * *

**_

One wild ride later, they had left Gringotts and were making their way across the wet street to a shop called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Will you go inside and get your uniform?" Professor McGonagall said faintly. "I think that it would be prudent for me to wait outside."

Laura looked at her still slightly green skin, nodded, and entered the shop alone, feeling nervous. Madam Malkin was a young-looking, squat, smiling witch.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she asked, when Laura started to speak. "I've been getting people coming in all week; two students being fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale face, and slightly greasy black hair was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Next to him, on another stool, was a girl with red hair and bright green eyes. Both looked to be about Laura's age. Madam Malkin stood Laura on a stool next to the girl, slipped a long robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length.

"Hello," she said to the girl next to her, trying to be friendly. "I'm Laura Kittson."

The girl smiled at her. "I'm Lily Evans."

"Severus Snape," the boy said curtly.

"Are you first years at Hogwarts, too?" Laura asked.

"Yes," Lily said excitedly. "I'm a Muggle-Born, so normally I wouldn't have any idea that I was a witch before someone came to explain it to me. But Severus is a Half-Blood. He knew all about magic since he was young, and so he had told me all about it."

"I'm a Muggle-Born too," Laura said. "Well, Professor McGonagall, the witch who took me to Diagon Alley, said that I'm actually the great-descendent of a Squib… but I didn't know about magic until today."

"Why not?" the boy named Severus asked her. "If you're the descendent of a Squib, wouldn't you still know about it?"

"I probably would, but my parents are dead. I live in an orphanage."

"What house do you want to be in?" Lily asked her after an uncomfortable pause.

Laura knew that she had changed the subject on purpose, and was thankful for it, even though she had no idea what she was talking about. "House?"

"The School Houses," said Severus. "There are four: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin."

"What's the difference between them?"

"Well," explained Severus, "Gryffindor is the house for the people who are brave and reckless. Ravenclaw is for the really intelligent people. Hufflepuff is for the people who like to work hard, or just don't fit in any of the other houses. I want to be in Slytherin; it's the house for the sly, cunning, and ambitious."

"Hm… Well, I think I might fit in Ravenclaw. I like learning, but I'm not sure. How do they choose which one we go into?"

"The Sorting Hat."

Laura was about to ask what the Sorting Hat was, but Madam Malkin came up to her and said, "That's you done, my dear."

Laura took the finished robes. "See you guys at Hogwarts!" she called over her shoulder as she left the shop. She met Professor McGonagall outside, who looked considerably less green than when Laura had left her. They stopped to buy parchment and quills next, and then went into a shop called Flourish and Blotts to get her schoolbooks, and a couple of other books that Laura wanted, or Professor McGonagall recommended that Laura get to help her get used to the wizarding world, including _A Muggle's Guide to Wizardry_. As they went to the different shops, Professor McGonagall, who, Laura discovered, taught Transfiguration at Hogwarts, the changing of one object into another, explained as much as she could about Hogwarts; the houses, the moving staircases, the ghosts (including a poltergeist named Peeves), and the classes.

After Laura bought a cauldron, a set of scales, and a brass telescope, they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its disgusting smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of what looked like intestines stood on the floor, while jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and gnarled claws were hung up on the ceiling. They went up to the counter and asked for a supply of some basic potions ingredients.

Outside the Apothecary, Laura checked her list again. "There's just a wand left, and an owl, cat, or toad."

"Let's get your pet first," said Professor McGonagall. "I would recommend an owl; they are very intelligent, and can carry your mail for you."

"I think I _will_ get an owl," she replied as they walked into Eeylops Owl Emporium, which was dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. They left twenty minutes later, Laura carrying a large cage, carrying a solid black owl, which she had decided to name Iris.

"All that's left now is your wand," Professor McGonagall said. "Ollivanders is the best place to get wands."

The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. A tinkling bell rang out as they stepped inside the shop. It was a tiny place, with only a single, spindly chair, that Professor McGonagall sat on to wait, and thousands upon thousands of narrow boxes piled up to the ceiling. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic, and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Laura jumped and spun around toward the voice. An old man was standing before them his wide, pale eyes, shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"Hello," she said, once she had gotten over her shock. "I'm Laura Kittson."

The man, Mr. Ollivander, moved closer to Laura. "A Muggle-born, I presume?"

Laura nodded, slightly uncomfortable. He looked up, to her relief, and spotted Professor McGonagall. "Minerva!" he exclaimed. "Minerva McGonagall! How nice to see you again… Eleven-and-a-half inches, dragon heartstring, excellent for Transfiguration."

"Yes, it is," she replied, smiling. "Even after all these years…"

"Well, now – Ms. Kittson. Let me see." Mr. Ollivander pulled out a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Excuse me?" she asked politely.

"Which is your dominant arm?"

"Well, I'm left-handed," she said, raising her arm up. Mr. Ollivander took the measuring tape and measured Laura from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and round her head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Ms. Kittson. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another witch or wizard's wand.

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure, which was measuring between her nostrils on its own, crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Ms. Kittson. Try this one. Elm and unicorn tail. Ten inches. Rather stiff. Just take it and give it a wave."

Laura took the wand, and waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand almost at once.

"Oak and phoenix feather. Twelve-and-a-half inches. Quite Whippy. Try-"

Laura tried, but she had hardly raised the wand when it too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.

"No, no – here, eight inches, pearwood and dragon heartstring, flexible. Go on, try it out."

Laura tried, and kept trying, even though she had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become. They had been trying for almost a half an hour, when Laura finally tried 'eleven-and-one-quarter inches, willow and unicorn foal tail, quite firm,' and felt the wand growing warm in her hand. She brought the wand in a circle in front of her, and a shower of golden sparks and mist shot out from the end, filling the shop for several seconds. Laura caught a glimpse of an animal dancing in the mist, a unicorn, just before golden light faded and returned to the normal dimness of the shop.

Professor McGonagall was still for a moment, but then started clapping, still with a slight expression of shock on her face. Mr. Ollivander smiled widely and cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh very good!" He put Laura's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper. As he worked, he told Laura, "This is a very powerful wand. It is excellent for almost all spells, but is especially good in Transfiguration."

Laura smiled and paid seven gold Galleons for her wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop. As they made their way back across Diagon Alley, Laura, out of the corner of her eye, saw Professor McGonagall looking at her oddly. Laura looked up at the sky, and realized with a jolt that it wasn't raining anymore. Maybe it's an omen, she thought wryly.

They went back through the wall, and Professor McGonagall said, "We are going to be Apparating back. When we get there, please try to stay out of sight. I am going to put a spell on her so she knows that you are going to a boarding school, and will let you leave. I won't be able to tell her to drive you there, so you can call the Knight Bus on September 1st by sticking out your wand. Tell the conductor you need to go to King's Cross, and use your train ticket" – here she pulled out an envelope and handed it to Laura – "to get on the train. If you have any questions, you can send your owl, she will know where to find me." Laura nodded, and grabbed Professor McGonagall's arm again.

Again, there was the suffocating feeling of being pressed through a narrow rubber tube. Her head was pounding, her eyes were rolling back into her head, her heart was thumping quickly, much too quickly –

They were standing on the sidewalk in front of The Orphanage again a split second later. Laura frowned. Well, at least, from now on, she only had to deal with it two months out of the year. They made their way to the front door, which Professor McGonagall opened with her wand, and Laura snuck up the stairs with all of her packages, getting an odd stare or two from the other children along the way, and had just closed the door to her room behind her when she heard yelling coming from downstairs. It went on for a couple of seconds, followed by complete silence. Laura grinned; whatever happened, Madam Martha had it coming to her.


	5. Buses and Trains

**Chapter 4 – **_**Buses and Trains**_

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Laura's last month at The Orphanage wasn't fun. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Madam Martha and the rest seemed to think that they needed to fit a year's worth of misery into a single month, and there wasn't a day that went by that Laura didn't have some new bruise or cut. The other children had somehow found out that she was leaving in September, and seemed to make it their personal mission to find out why. It was only by looking up a locking charm in one of her new textbooks that she was able to keep them out of her room.

That was the only bright spot in the last month of summer. Laura, after getting back from the excitement of Diagon Alley, had been immensely bored. Since drawing a calendar on one of the pieces of parchment she had bought only took about twenty minutes, Laura turned to her new books. She first read the general books; _A Muggle's Guide to Wizardry _was by far the most informative. After that, she had taken to practicing some of the spells in her Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks at night, Iris swooping in and out of her open window. Every night before she went to sleep, Laura ticked off another day on her makeshift calendar.

Laura woke up at seven o'clock on the first day of September, and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep (not that she would have anyway; she was an early riser). She got up and pulled on a skirt and blouse; she didn't want to walk into the station in her wizard's robes – she'd change on the train. She checked to make sure she had everything she needed, and that Iris was safely shut in her cage, and then attempted to read her Transfiguration book. Finally, she decided that it was much better waiting at the train station than here. At a quarter 'til ten, she put the book away (she hadn't managed to read much anyway) and pulled her trunk downstairs, leaving a note for Madam Martha saying that she was leaving. She was finally leaving!

Laura walked out the front door, carrying her trunk and owl and held out her wand like Professor McGonagall told her to. At first, it seemed as though nothing was happening, but just as she was starting to panic, a triple-decker, violently purple bus appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled out _The Knight Bus_.

A conductor in a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began to speak loudly. "Welcome to _The Knight Bus_, emergency transport for your stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, climb on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Ernie Prang, and I will be your conductor for this morning. How may I be of assistance?"

"Er…" Laura said intelligently, still in slight shock over the bright purple vehicle that had materialized out of thin air. "I'm Laura Kittson. How much is it to get to Kings Cross?"

"Six Sickles." Ernie said enthusiastically. Laura rummaged through her trunk, and pulled six of the silver coins out of her moneybag. Ernie took her trunk and owl and loaded it on the bus. Laura clambered on behind him and looked around. There were about thirty cushioned chairs next to curtained windows, and the light streaming through them illuminated the wood-paneled walls. She was the only one on the bus currently, she noticed as she sat down cautiously on one of the chairs.

"Take her away!" Ernie called to the driver.

There was a tremendous BANG, and the next moment, Laura's chair slid across the floor, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus. She glanced at the window and saw that they were bowling along a completely different street. Ernie was watching Laura's stunned face with great enjoyment.

After a minute, she asked, "How come the-" Laura searched for the word, "-Muggles don't see us?"

Ernie chuckled, "They don't look or listen properly do they. Never notice anything." Laura was still looking out the window, feeling increasingly nervous. The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trashcans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed.

Ernie was watching her again. "You going to Hogwarts?"

Laura smiled. "Yup. I'm a first-year!"

Ernie beamed at her. "Hogwarts is a great place. I was a Hufflepuff, myself. Are you a Muggle-Born? I don't recognize your surname."

Laura nodded, but less enthusiastically this time. She suddenly hoped that they would be arriving soon, so Ernie wouldn't have time to ask any more questions. She wasn't sure why, but she want to tell too many people about her being an orphan.

To her relief, it seemed that Ernie was done with his questions, maybe sensing her discomfort. She thought too soon, though, because Ernie asked, "Where are your parents?"

Laura opened her mouth to, perhaps rudely, tell him to mind his own business, but to her enormous relief, the driver called out, "Miss Kittson! We're arriving at King's Cross!" The bus shuddered to a halt with another tremendous BANG.

"Thank you," she said quickly, grabbing her trunk and owl before Ernie could continue talking her. The door slammed closed behind her as she stepped off the bus, and the triple-decker vanished again with a loud BANG. With a raised eyebrow, Laura looked around the station, noting that no one had noticed the giant and ridiculously purple bus vanishing into thin air. She shook her head, and dragged her trunk over to a luggage rack. She had just heaved the heavy trunk and birdcage onto the trolley when she heard bells distantly tolling. Laura glanced at the clock at the station – it was 10:15 – and realized with a jolt that she had no idea where she was going. Wondering why she hadn't done it before, Laura pulled out her ticket. She stared for a minute, and then nodded once. Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. That solved one problem, and brought up another, slightly bigger problem.

She glanced at the ticket again to make sure she wasn't imagining things, and tried to about it logically, or as logically as a person could while trying to find a platform that was a fraction. Since 9¾ was in between nine and ten, it made sense that Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters would also be in between Platforms Nine and Ten. This magic stuff was actually making some sort of sense. Laura was starting to think that nothing would surprise her, even if a dragon suddenly waltzed into the platform, or a vampire or werewolf.

Shrugging, she asked a passing guard where Platform Nine was, and headed in that direction. She had briefly considered asking the guard where Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters was, but dismissed thought immediately. _She_ didn't even know where it was, and she knew that magic actually existed. Laura fingered the silver necklace that Professor McGonagall had transfigured for her the day that she went to Diagon Alley. She hadn't taken it off once during the last month, and didn't ever plan to. My first gift, she mused.

Laura reached Platform Nine, and pushed the trolley a little farther to a bench that was positioned in between Platforms Nine and Ten. She sat facing the entrance, watching for anyone that looked like they might be going to Hogwarts. It was unlikely that they would be wearing robes, so Laura looked at the luggage. She didn't have to wait long. After about ten minutes of searching, she spotted a boy that looked about her age walking between his mom and dad. He was pulling a trunk and an owl, and was dressed in Muggle clothes, though they didn't match quite right. He had short, sandy-blonde hair. Laura jumped up, grabbed her trolley, and hurried after him.

By the time she had caught up with the family, the boy had stopped a little behind his parents, who were staring at one of the barriers between the two platforms and whispering to each other. The boy was watching his parents, and didn't notice her come up.

"Excuse me?" Laura asked quietly. When the boy didn't respond, Laura tapped him on his shoulder. "Excuse me?" she asked again, a little louder this time. He jumped slightly, and spun tensely around to face her, his bright amber eyes locking onto her own gentle blue. She got a strange feeling looking into his eyes, a small feeling of… fear? But that was ridiculous, she thought uneasily. She didn't even know him yet. Trying to ignore the faint scar that ran from slightly below his left eye to his right cheek, she shoved the feeling down.

She started speaking again, feeling a little more confident. "Excuse me," she said for the third time, "but I'm a Muggle-Born, and I had noticed that you had a trunk and owl as well… and I was wondering if you could tell me how to get onto Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters?"

He looked slightly relieved. Maybe he had thought that she was a Muggle? "Of course," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "All you have to do is walk straight at that wall, and you'll go through." He pointed at the wall that his parents had been looking at before, which was a dividing barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. Laura stared blankly at the wall for a moment. Then she shrugged.

"I can now honestly say that I've seen weirder things."

The boy laughed, but stopped abruptly after a second, shock lining his features. Pretending she didn't notice, Laura grabbed her trolley and started to push it towards the brick wall. Trying to ignore what this would look like from another person's point of view, she closed her eyes and ran straight at it. After running for a couple seconds without hitting anything, Laura opened her eyes, and gasped. A magnificent scarlet steam engine was waiting next an almost empty platform. There were a couple of older students, but most people hadn't arrived yet. A sign overhead said _Hogwarts Express, Eleven O'Clock_. Laura looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words _Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters_ on it.


	6. Hogwarts Express

**Chapter 5 – **_**Hogwarts Express**_

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Laura tore her eyes away from the sign, and headed toward the magnificent steam engine, looking for an empty compartment. She chose one in the center of the train. Laura struggled to lift her heavy trunk onto the train, but gave up, panting, a minute later. She glanced at her wand, which was sticking out of her sweatshirt pocket. Maybe…

Laura slid her wand out and pointed it at her trunk, saying the spell that she had learned from her Charms textbook.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

The trunk shuddered, and slowly rose above the ground. Laura directed it to the luggage rack with her wand, and then climbed aboard herself, taking Iris with her. Laura grinned in accomplishment and glanced at the clock on the wall where it said the platform number.

10:30

There was only half an hour until the train left. Laura was about to get a book from her trunk to pass the time when her compartment door slid open.

It was the boy who had helped her find the platform. Laura stared at him expectantly, but he didn't say anything; he just hovered in the doorway with uncertainty flickering on his face.

After a minute of this, Laura, amused, said, "Well don't just stand there! Come in if you want."

The boy smiled slightly, looking relieved, and stepped into the compartment, dragging his trunk and owl behind him. Laura stood up and helped him put his luggage on the rack. Once they had finished, both of them collapsed on the seats. "Thanks," the boy said uncomfortably. "I'm Remus Lupin."

"It's no problem," she shrugged, smiling. The boy – Remus – seemed extraordinarily shy. "You helped me get onto the platform. I'm Laura Kittson."

Remus chuckled and asked, "Laura Kittson? As in the Laura Kittson who keeps lighting people on fire?" Again, the shocked expression flitted across his face. She couldn't blame him; she was pretty shocked herself.

"How'd you know that?" she asked.

Remus' amber eyes widened slightly, but his face relaxed a second later. "Professor Dumbledore told me when he delivered my letter this summer."

Laura frowned. Professor Dumbledore was the headmaster of Hogwarts. "But didn't you already know about magic? Why would someone, the headmaster no less, deliver your letter if you didn't need anything explained?"

"He needed to speak to my parents about something," Remus replied quickly, "so I guess he just took my letter because it was convenient. I don't know what they were talking about though."

The compartment fell silent, and Laura looked out the window again. It was 10:45; the platform was more crowded now, with many of the families dressed in wizarding clothing. One family of four standing close to their compartment was dressed in long black and green robes. All four had raven-black hair, and steely grey eyes. The father was sneering around the station unpleasantly, and the mother was ranting to her two sons: "I can't believe the trash they're letting into school these days! Filthy blood traitors – there are the Potters right over there–" she gestured over to a laughing family standing near them on the station. "Well, at least they're purebloods; they keep letting in more and more mudbloods! Filthy parasites! And with Sirius staring this year, he'll have to be near the scum! Well, not so much in Slytherin, where he _will_ be sorted, but–" Laura felt a surge of burning anger, but their youngest son, who looked about seven or eight, was nodding energetically. The older son, however, looked faintly disgusted at his mother, and was standing a little apart from the others. He looked about eleven, and was the only one wearing not wearing the formal green robes, instead dressed in a Hogwarts uniform – he must be Sirius, the boy who was starting this year.

Laura stopped watching the unpleasant looking family and looked back at Remus. "What do your parents do?" she asked. She was curious about wizards and witches did once they finished school.

"Er – my mum's a Muggle," Remus said quietly, "So she doesn't work in the magical world. She's a nurse, but she helps some of the Healers – the magical doctors – because if a Muggle comes in with a magical injury, Muggles won't be able to do much."

Laura laughed. "I'd love to see the look on the Muggles' faces if someone came in with a dragon burn."

Remus nodded. "It's happened before."

Laura laughed again. "And your dad?"

Remus looked pensive. "I'm not exactly sure. He's an Unspeakable, in the Department of Mysteries."

"Department of Mysteries?"

"It's one of the branches of the Ministry of Magic, and it's the most secret out of all of them. No one except for the people who work there, and very few others, know exactly what they do."

Laura grinned. "That sounds really cool. Maybe that's what Professor Dumbledore wanted to talk to your dad about."

"Maybe. He would be one of the people who know. I mean, he's one of the most powerful wizards in the twentieth century!" Laura noticed the admiring tone of the boy's voice.

"What exactly-" Laura's question was cut off by a loud whistle from the front of the scarlet steam engine. Laura looked out the window, giggling slightly at the panicked rush outside the train. As the whistle blew again, mothers struggled to give their children one last hug, the students were making a frantic dash towards the train, younger siblings were crying, and owls were screeching in protest. The whistle blew loudly again, and the compartments slammed closed, one by one. Then, with a lurch, the train was inching forward, and parents and siblings were running along the train, waving and crying. The train sped up, the parents fell behind, they rounded the corner, and they were out of sight.

Laura looked at the houses flashing by for another minute, before turning, beaming, to Remus. Her smile slipped off of her face as she noticed that Remus didn't look happy at all. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" he asked, blinking. "Oh, it's nothing."

Laura raised an eyebrow.

"It's silly, really," he muttered quietly, looking embarrassed. "I guess its just that its going to be strange not seeing my parents every day."

"Oh…" said Laura. What was she supposed to say to that? Everything she could think of sounded unsympathetic or just plain stupid.

"Don't you miss yours?" Remus asked her, a curious expression on his face.

Laura winced. It wasn't that she didn't miss them. It was more that she didn't know what they were like; they hadn't really given her anything to miss. "I don't have any parents."

Remus' eyes widened, but before he could reply, the compartment door slammed open loudly. Laura looked over quickly to see Severus and Lily, the two first-years from Diagon Alley, come in, the former scowling, but the latter looking absolutely furious. She was ranting to Severus: "I can't believe them! They're absolutely foul! Just because of the house you want to be in! And that name-" Lily broke off, noticing Laura and Remus for the first time. Lily's glare vanished, and she was smiling again, but it looked strained. Severus' expression didn't change.

"Hi, Lily, Severus," Laura frowned. "What's up?"

Lily shrugged. "It's nothing." At Laura's raised eyebrow, she continued, "It's just a couple of idiot boys we met earlier on the train. Future Gryffindors." Lily scowled in distaste, before flicking her eyes over to Remus, looking at him curiously.

"Oh!" exclaimed Laura, seeing where Lily was looking. "That's my friend, Remus Lupin."

"Well, nice to meet you, Remus. I'm Lily Evans."

Remus nodded politely, and looked at Severus.

"Severus Snape," he glowered. Laura chose to ignore his less than pleasant attitude, and began chatting with Lily.

The journey didn't seem to take long at all, with the train covering miles of deserts, forests, and grassy plains. After about an hour that seemed much shorter than it really was, a lady came by with a snack trolley. Severus and Lily immediately got up and bought some of their favorite candies. Laura, who had never had pocket money before, bought a little bit of everything, marveling at the jumping Chocolate Frogs and moving pictures especially.

Remus, however, hadn't bought anything. "N-no thank you. I'm not that hungry," he stammered politely, face slightly pink.

"Well you can have some later then," Laura replied matter-of-factly.

"No, its okay, really," Remus protested quietly, but Laura had none of it, practically stuffing a Chocolate Frog into his mouth, laughing with everyone else at the expression on his face.

The sun moved farther down in the sky, and by sunset, the candy was all gone, Remus finally taking some willingly. As the last rays of sun disappeared behind the horizon, a voice echoed throughout the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."

Laura jumped up, startled. "I haven't changed clothes yet!" she exclaimed, looking at the uniforms that the other three were wearing. Without waiting for a response, Laura quickly grabbed the grey robe from her trunk and bolted out the door, heading for the bathroom. By the time she finished changing, the train had lurched to a stop, and everyone was trying to get off of the train.

For the first time, Laura felt nervous about the upcoming Sorting. Before, she hadn't been concerned about where she was placed, but that was before she had _friends_; the word felt so good to say! Now, she felt nervous. Severus had explained the house rivalries – what if some of them ended up in Slytherin and others in Gryffindor? What if all four of them were separated? Her heart clenched as a new thought occurred to her. What if she wasn't sorted at all?

Absorbed in her thoughts, Laura wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings. She moved with the mass of people leaving the train, not noticing the biting cold fog swirling outside the protection of the train, the slippery concrete below her feet, or the small stream of people moving the opposite direction. She was about to clamber into one of the horseless carriages lining the pathway when she felt a hand tap her shoulder.


	7. Lost and Found

**Chapter 6 – **_**Lost and Found**_

Laura spun around, coming face to face with an older boy. He wore a slight frown on a face framed by bright red hair, and a badge was gleaming on his chest. He looked about seventeen or eighteen years old.

"Excuse me," he asked, his voice sounding concerned. "Aren't you a first-year?"

Laura nodded. "Yeah, I am. Why?"

"All of the first-years were supposed to follow Hagrid down to the lake," he said, looking slightly panicked.

"Hagrid?" she asked, feeling her heart sink a little bit.

The boy was looking desperate now. "The large man with the lantern?" At Laura's still confused face, the boy grabbed her hand and started pulling her back in the direction that they came from. "I just hope they haven't left yet," the boy worried.

They had barely taken a few steps when a roll of thunder shook the sky. As if responding to Laura's mood, the clouds opened up and the pair was drenched as they continued running back towards the station. The pair rushed past the scarlet train, still smoking even though there were no more passengers, and hurtled onto a small, steep, and muddy path. It was incredibly dark on both sides, and Laura glanced into the blackness nervously; it seemed as though there must be thick forests on either side. The torrent of rain increased, and Laura slipped several times, the boy catching her and then quickly pushing her forward again. Laura sneezed violently. She couldn't see three feet in front of her because of the rain now, but she followed the boy determinedly, ignoring the cold, her running nose, and the mounting ache in her legs.

Suddenly, the boy's hand let go of hers, startling her with the sudden motion and causing her to fall again. Unlike the previous stumbles, where she had landed on the hard ground, winded, she landed with a splash in water that was somehow even colder than the icy sheets of rain falling from the clouds.

Laura launched herself up quickly, trying to get away from the frigid water, letting out a loud squeal. A pair of hands quickly grabbed a hold of her and easily yanked her out of the water, planting her feet firmly on the ground again, and dusting what mud they could off of her uniform.

Laura barely noticed; her body was numb and shivering, her teeth were chattering loudly, and a black haze was starting to cover her thoughts.

"They've already left," the boy said to her. Laura's half-frozen mind realized that he meant the rest of the first years.

"W-What d-does t-that m-mean?" she shivered, her eyes wide with panic. "W-will I s-still b-be able t-to g-go t-to H-Hogwarts?"

"Yes, calm down. We're just going to have to get you to the castle another way, that's all."

Laura relaxed, causing her mind to numb even further. It seemed the boy just noticed her frozen state; she could feel _him_ start to panic. "I need you to hold on for just a little longer, alright?" he asked urgently.

Laura nodded numbly, but when he started to tug her along again – she didn't care where this time – her legs wouldn't respond and allow her to follow. She fell to her knees, sneezing and coughing violently. Laura felt her eyes slowly closing, but before she could completely block out everything around her, something was shaking her and picking her up.

"Stay awake," the voice urged, and she tried, focusing on his face, and anything else that wasn't the rain. Despite his sopping wet robe, the boy was warm, so Laura pressed up closer to him, grabbing fistfuls of his robe. Eventually – she didn't know how long it was – they reached the carriage she had tried to get into earlier, before he stopped her. She couldn't muster up enough energy to be mad at him for the unnecessary sprint. He set her in a carriage and then climbed in himself, shrugging off his outer robe and wrapping it around Laura.

Laura felt her eyes sliding closed again, but as soon as the boy noticed, she felt herself being shaken awake again. "You can't fall asleep," he told her. "You might not wake back up, and Madam Promfrey would kill me!"

Despite her annoyance, Laura was slightly curious. "M-Madam P-Promfrey?"

"She's the school nurse," he said, looking relieved that she was able to talk. "I forgot that you don't know anyone's name." His eyes widened slightly. "I forgot to tell you _my_ name, and I'm the one who's been dragging you around the train station for twenty minutes. I'm Arthur Weasley, a Gryffindor and a seventh year prefect."

"L-Laura Kittson." She stammered. She was starting to feel slightly warmer now; Arthur's cloak must have some kind of warming spell on it. "I-I'm a f-first year, b-but you p-probably already knew t-that."

He chuckled. "Yeah, you told me earlier; it was the whole reason we went on that wild goose chase." Laura flushed, but Arthur pretended to not notice. "Hopefully some of the people that you sat with on the train noticed that you were missing, so that they won't start the Sorting. Don't worry," he said quickly, perhaps thinking that Laura was going to panic again. "Even if we don't get there in time, I'm sure Dumbledore will just take out the hat again."

For the first time, Laura noticed that the carriage had started moving without any noticeable sign from Arthur. Even though the cart wasn't completely enclosed, none of the outside rain was blowing in through the windows. Laura was thankful for that; she was wet enough already, and still pretty cold. She sneezed again.

After about five minutes, the cart stopped in front of a magnificent iron gate, thankfully still open.

"Can you walk?" Arthur asked her.

Laura blushed, completely mortified at how he had to carry her earlier, and nodded furiously. She hopped out of the carriage, swaying a little bit under the torrent of the rain before gaining her balance, and followed Arthur as he led the way through the gate. The two walked quickly across the rolling green lawn. Any other time she would have probably looked around so she wouldn't get lost again, but the rain was still falling hard and it made it impossible to see anything. Laura felt the cold return.

At last, they arrived at a tall, oak, door, which Arthur pushed open immediately and ushered her though.

Laura felt her eyes widen in wonder. The Entrance Hall was so big that she could have fit the entire orphanage inside. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them that led to the upper floors.

Arthur didn't stop though, and Laura followed him across the flagstone floor, still looking around in awe. They stopped in front of a large door, almost as big as the one to the castle, on the right of the Entrance Hall.

"Wait here, please," Arthur said to her, before striding confidently across the room and disappearing though a door on the other side. Laura waited by the door, taking solace in the fact that she wasn't alone – every few seconds, she could hear a voice on the other side of the door in front of her call out something loudly, and the sound of applause. _The Sorting_, she thought, her heart sinking slightly.

Arthur was back just as the thought crossed her mind, his face slightly nervous. "They're not in the waiting chamber, so the Sorting has already started. You're a Muggle-Born, right?" He seemed excited at the prospect. "Do you know how the Sorting works?"

Laura nodded. "Another student told me about it in Diagon Alley."

Arthur smiled at her. "Then we should probably join the rest of the students in the hall. Ask another student in your house to tell you about the point system."

Laura nodded, barely refraining herself from asking a question. She shrugged off Arthur's robe and handed it back to him. "Thank you," she whispered trying to express her gratitude in everything he had done for her tonight despite her fear of the Sorting coming back in even greater force.

"No problem," Arthur smiled at her. "Don't be nervous; the Sorting isn't anything to be worried about," he added, correctly assessing her nervousness, before walking forward and pushing open the door to the Great Hall.


	8. The Sorting

**Chapter 7 – **_**The Sorting**_

The Great Hall was magnificent; it was easily the most splendid place she had ever seen! There were thousands and thousands of burning candles, twinkling as brightly as the stars reflected on the ceiling – was there even a ceiling? – floating above five long, wooden, tables lined with golden plates and silverware. The first table was at the front of the hall, and seated there was what could only be the teaching staff. The students were sitting at the other four tables that were to Arthur and Laura's right and left as they walked down the center of the hall, two on each side.

As soon as they stepped in the hall, every single eye in the Great Hall, whether it be teacher or student – or the occasional ghost that Laura hadn't noticed before – was turned towards them. Laura, not used to attention, turned her gaze to the front of the room, blushing.

Professor McGonagall, pausing from where she had been reading off of a large piece of parchment, was standing next to a stool with a very patched and dirty hat on it. _The Sorting Hat_. There was a small clump of first-years, only about five of them left, who were also staring at her. Laura was slightly relieved to see Severus' familiar face among them. She kept her eyes firmly on him as she walked continued walking down the center – it didn't _seem_ this long when they walked through the doors – and tried to ignore the water that was still dripping from her robes.

When they finally reached the front, Laura went and stood by Severus, trying to ignore the stares and to stop shivering (it was colder in here than it was in the Entrance Hall), while Arthur continued walking and talked with Professor McGonagall in low whispers. The Professor looked towards the staff table for a moment, beckoning over two of the faculty: a strict, yet motherly looking woman, and a man who could only be Professor Dumbledore, with his long white beard, half-moon glasses, and bright purple robes.

"What happened?" Severus hissed under his breath, pulling Laura's attention from the adults' conversation. She couldn't help but notice that he looked slightly green, most likely with nerves.

She half-smiled sheepishly. "I got lost." Laura explained how she had accidentally followed the older students and eventually ended up in the lake. Severus was having a hard time keeping a smirk off of his face.

When she finished, he had opened his mouth, no doubt to make some sarcastic remark, when Laura noticed that the professors had taken their seats again, and Professor McGonagall had reopened her scroll.

"Snape, Severus!" she read loudly, and the students who were whispering quietly to each other cut off abruptly.

"Good luck," she whispered to Severus as he walked towards the stool. Laura watched curiously as the hat was placed on his head, but she was the only one. She assumed that the older students had seen enough people be Sorted that it didn't hold any interest for them anymore, and everyone else was staring at her. Sigh. Well, this was probably the first time a first-year had managed to arrive late to a Sorting.

The hat had been sitting on his head for about fifteen seconds, and Severus looked desperate, like he was arguing with it. After a couple more seconds, a tear near the brim of the hat opened up wide.

"SLYTHERIN!" it yelled, and the table on the second to the right began clapping loudly.

After Laura got over the shock of a talking (more like yelling) hat, she realized where Severus had been sorted. She smiled at him, clapping loudly, trying to send her congratulations for getting where he wanted, before noticing that he looked upset. Laura was completely confused, but then she caught the longing look he shot at the table at the far left of the hall. Following his line of sight, Laura noticed that Lily had been made a Gryffindor, and was sitting next to Remus. The two of them were the only ones clapping at their table, but they made up for it by being extra loud. The boy who had just finished being Sorted when Laura had walked in and another aristocratic-looking boy sitting next to him were shooting Lily and Remus distasteful looks.

"Stebbins, Michael!" Professor McGonagall read the next name.

"RAVENCLAW!" it called after couple of seconds, much more quickly than Severus' Sorting, and the shy, studious-looking boy hurried towards the second to left table.

As "Turpin, Sean" was put in Ravenclaw as well, Laura noticed something that had her panicking again. It seemed as though the Sorting was going in alphabetical order by last name, and 'K' was certainly before 'T'. She came after she was supposed to be Sorted! What if they sent her home because she messed up a thousand-year old tradition?

Two more students were Sorted, and then Laura was the only one left standing at the front of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall's eyes flicked farther up the parchment. "Kittson, Laura!"

She blushed at the slightly amused whispers that broke out throughout the hall at her name, and stumbled up to the stool, tripping twice over her drenched robes, which were sagging under the weight of the water and dragging on the floor. Her face went even redder as Professor McGonagall gave her a sympathetic smile, and placed the hat on her head. It was so big that it dropped over both of her ears, and rested somewhere around her nose.

She waited.

"Hmm…" said a small voice in her ear. Laura jumped slightly; she didn't quite know the details of the Sorting. How was she supposed to know that the hat would talk to her?

"How indeed…" the Sorting Hat chuckled.

Laura blinked, and tried to ignore the fact that the hat could most likely hear everything that she had ever thought.

"Let's see… You are one of the easier ones I've hat to Sort today. Plenty of courage, and a tendency to be slightly reckless… not a bad mind, but your pranks would definitely send you to GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table exploded into cheers, and Laura took the hat off with relief. She set it back down on the stool before hurrying over to her cheering classmates and took a seat in between Lily, who gave her a hug, and Remus, who smiled at her. The chatter at the other tables started to die down, and Laura noticed that Professor Dumbledore had stood up, and was beaming widely, arms spread wide.

Everyone had noticed by now, and the hall was completely silent, except for the sound of a cat mewling from somewhere in the back of the hall.

"Welcome!" he smiled, "to another year at Hogwarts! 'He who laughs last thinks slowest.' Thank you!" With that, he sat down again, and everyone clapped and cheered, though that might have been because food had appeared on the golden plates.

There were roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak. There were boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. There were a number of different dishes that Laura had no name for, but she grabbed a little of everything anyways.

"Is Severus going to be okay alone in Slytherin?" Laura asked Lily after they had piled tons of food on their plates, concerned for her new friend – at least she thought Severus was a friend.

Lily frowned, and the three of them glanced over to where Severus was sitting two tables away. He was talking to an older student with hair so blonde it was almost white. He was a prefect, judging by the badge on his shirt, and had a slightly pompous air about him.

Seemingly sensing their eyes on him, Severus' eyes flickered over to where they were sitting. Lily beamed at him, raising her hand and waving, Laura and Remus mimicking her. He nodded back, the first genuine smile that Laura had seen barely tracing his features, before turning back to the prefect.

Lily looked slightly put out.

"He probably just wants to make some friends in his own house, as well," Laura was surprised to hear Remus say to Lily. He hadn't spoken that much on the train, and seemed extremely shy.

Lily looked surprised as well, but hid well, to her credit. "Yeah, you're right. We've known each other since we were nine, so we'll still be friends." She nodded to herself, and that was the end of it.

Well, almost.

"What're you waving to him for?" the boy with messy hair – one of the two boys that were scowling at Lily and Remus when Severus was Sorted – asked from a couple of seats down the table.

It seemed that Lily had recognized them, or these were the two boys that she had been muttering about on the train – it seemed likely – because she glared at them. "What's it to you, Potter?" she retorted. So she knew him, then.

"He's a Slytherin!" Potter protested, and a chubby boy sitting next to him nodded quickly, muttering his agreement.

"He's my friend," snarled Lily. "I don't care what houses people are in, so shut up!"

A boy sitting on his other side– she didn't know his name at this point, looked ready to respond again (he really _was_ an idiot), so Laura tapped Lily on the shoulder, wincing slightly and the furious expression on her face, and asked her a question about what the heck Quidditch was.

She smirked slightly at the disappointed expression on his face.

Eventually, the dinner disappeared, replaced a second later with every kind of food that had sugar in it. There were colorful cakes, blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding, taffy, cookies, and bowls of chocolate.

By the time the deserts had vanished, Laura was warm, sleepy, and happy, despite the fact that her robes were _still_ wet, and she had a feeling that she had gotten a cold. She and Lily had spent a part of the feast talking to a couple of other girls in their year, Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon.

Professor Dumbledore stood up again and cleared his throat. "Ahem – just a few more announcements now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the Forbidden forest on the edge of the grounds is out of bounds for all pupils." _Forbidden forest is forbidden_, thought Laura sleepily. Got it. "Mr. Filch would like me to remind you not to use magic in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be starting the second week of term, and we are also in need of a new announcer. Please contact Madam Flake if you are interestered." _Out of the question._ "Lastly, some of you have most likely noticed the new tree that has been planted by the lake this year. It is called a Whomping Willow – seventh years will be learning more about it later this week – but the rest of you need to know that it is best to steer clear of it because, as the name suggests, it is likely to try to squash you into the ground." _Stay away from killer tree. Understood._ Some of the students were whispering again, most likely wondering what the tree was doing there in the first place.

She got up to follow Arthur Weasley and another redheaded girl to the common room, but the motherly looking woman who was talking with the professors practically grabbed her and dragged her off to the hospital wing. That must be Madam Promfrey, she thought sleepily, remembering what Arthur had said, as she lay down on the soft, white bed.

She didn't even bother to take off her uniform before she collapsed against the pillow, falling asleep instantly.


End file.
